Celebrity Inspiration IV: Megan Fox

There are many celebrities that really value fitness and nutrition. Of these, there are a very select few, male and female, who I think are at the pinnacle of fitness and nutrition and are those who give me ideas and inspire me within my own fitness and nutrition. Today I am going to focus on 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' actress Megan Fox.

Apparently Megan Fox very much depends on a trainer to help keep her going. The actress spends 30 minutes of her time doing cardio exercises that flatten and tone her abs. She begins with some warm-up movements like butterfly crunch or front planks and then she gets down to business with knee-ups, leg swings and ball leg lifts. These are meant to work on the upper part of her body. She then mixes the cardio moves with Pilates or cycling for another 30 - 45 minutes to round out her workout.

I'm very much a fan of what Megan does with her workout since I do cycling, planks and Pilates myself.

As for her diet, Megan is careful about her daily meals and really focuses on eating a healthy breakfast so she has lots of energy and doesn’t overeat later on in the day. She loves eggs and usually has them every day. Megan is also a fan of almonds because she knows they contain filling protein and fiber. They’re also a good source of vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that will boost the effectiveness of her abs routine effectiveness. She’s a fan of lean protein sources and eats lots of veggies and fruits to keep her full.

Although I personally limit the amount of eggs I have, I too incorporate them into my nutrition lifestyle on occasion. Foods that contain protein and fiber are also key priorities.

There are many inspirations out there, celebrity and non-celebrity. Today I chose Megan Fox but there are many more who inspire me that I will get onto in the future. It doesn't matter who inspires you. Even if it's simply yourself, feeling inspired can help you go above and beyond in all aspects of your life. Keep looking for inspiration and be an inspiration to others yourself. Feel inspired!

Portion Control

I found the following article at SparkPeople. Check more of the article out at http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=56 :

Portions have grown by leaps and bounds over the last couple of decades. Not surprisingly, our weight has followed right along with it. A huge part of the problem is that people tend to eat what’s in front of them, whether they’re hungry or not. To fight this problem, it’s important to find reasons to cut down on what you put on your plate in the first place.

Portion size is a major contributor to weight problems, whether you eat out or at home. Restaurants serve huge plates of food, consisting of several servings per person, making it easy to go way past the recommended amount per meal.

It does not stop when you eat at home. It’s been estimated that portion sizes in the past 20 years have increased in restaurants and at home by as much as 50%. Today, the average person eats 200 more calories each day than in the 1970s. Many store bought cookies are now more than 7 times bigger than the recommended serving size. Did you know that a typical dinner plate holds three servings of spaghetti, not just one? When you fill up your entire plate with food, you’re likely eating more than you bargained for.

Healthy Nutrition Habits

Nutrition is so important when it comes to weight loss or maintaining your weight, yet some people slack off on celebration days or at special events. It is essential that you develop healthy nutrition habits so you are less likely to go off your healthy nutrition path. Here are some tips:

- Eating a good breakfast will give you energy well into the day and will help you cut down on cravings later.

- For late-night study snacks, try fruit or nuts instead of pizza or ice cream. By preparing ahead of time, you’re less likely to resort to unhealthy fast food when you’re in a pinch, and the healthier foods you eat will stabilize your energy levels throughout the day (and night).

- Drink plenty of water. Water helps your body remove waste and even helps you lose weight by metabolizing fat. It also helps reduce hunger. Try to keep a water bottle with you all day and drink that in class instead of high-calorie drinks like soda.

A Glorified Counter

When it comes to fitness as with nutrition it is ultimately down to you and the time you put in. You don't even need a trainer to get yourself in shape. You just need to discipline yourself to stay motivated and do any necessary research to make sure you are doing the right thing.

A trainer is very much a glorified counter. If you can count yourself, you can train yourself. Know how many days you need to workout a week. Know how much time you think is necessary to build on your physique. Know how many repetitions and sets you need to do and can achieve without injury. Do the research so that you know as much as possible.

Be your own counter. Train yourself.

Dried Fruit & Non-Weight Loss

I found the following at MunFitnessBlog.com

Advantages with Dried Fruit

- Dried fruit has concentrated nutrients (vitamin and mineral). For example, raisins (which are dried grapes) are richer in iron compared with fresh grapes. Prunes have more fiber too which help relieves constipation.
- Dried fruit is a healthier replacement to other sweet snacks or junk food.
- Some athletes eat dried fruit as a source of quick energy.
- Dried fruit has a much longer shelf life than fresh and can be kept for 6 months to a year in an airtight container.

Things To Watch Out With Dried Fruit

- The reason fruit is dried is to reduce the water content. As water is a good transport medium for oxygen, with less water, oxygen level will be reduced. The drying process may deplete vitamin C content too. Even if dried fruit is rehydrated with water, it is not as good as fresh.
- Sugar is added to some dried fruits and making it sweet and sticky. So, it may not be good for your teeth.
- Before you buy the dried fruit, look at the nutrition facts from the ingredient labels. The fewer ingredients, the less processed the food is. The first ingredient should be fruit, such as raisins, dates, apricots and not salt, sucrose partially-hydrogenated oil.
- Though with more nutrients, dried fruit also has more calories. For example, a cup of sliced fresh plums has about 90 calories whereas a cup of prunes has about 400 calories.
- Not all dried fruit is dried fruit. Dried banana chips are not.

In offering my own thoughts, although I do like Muesli I do find it to be high calorie and the kind of food that can make you bloated. I also suggest you only eat it at breakfast time. I would recommend going for the sugar free non-dairy variety.

Bare in mind however that based on my experience, eating dried fruit can hinder weight loss very much, so if your aim is weight loss, I would recommend avoiding dried fruit as much as possible.

Risk

I received an e-mail this morning from The Bernard Hiller Acting Studio. It applies to all aspects of your life including fitness and nutrition.

Check it out below and take from it what you will:

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF RISK TAKING

1. Know that all success requires risk.
2. One must be willing to look foolish and feel uncomfortable.
3. To risk is to be vulnerable.
4. If you don't try you will never know.
5. The more you will risk the more you will gain.
6. You must be willing to live in uncertainty.
7. Without risk you cannot learn, change or grow.
8. Avoiding risk does not keep you from suffering or sorrow. It just adds to it.
9. The greatest danger in life is to risk nothing. " For the person who risks nothing , has nothing , does nothing and is nothing"
10. ONLY A PERSON WHO RISKS IS FREE.

Friends & Feeling Good - St. Patrick's Day

It was St. Patrick's Day in 2004 that I met a friend I'd been e-mailing for many years for the first time. It was in Tampa, Florida that we met and a few years before when I had found her Dawson's Creek website and learning we shared common interests that I had made first contact, and she actually wrote back to me, a stranger at the time. Seeing her in person for the first time was unknown territory but it proved to be very rewarding. I had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day and we continue to be great friends today.

In all aspects of your life, friends are so important. Good friends support you, inspire you and allow you to inspire them. Although when I personally go to the gym it is very much a solo effort, I do believe that having my supportive friends outside the gym allows me to do my best by wanting to inspire them by my fitness and nutrition dedication and discipline. So enjoy St. Patrick's Day, celebrate being with friends and remember all that you know about fitness and nutrition in the process, and continue to share and inspire your friends around you.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!